Tom Savage #3 of the Houston Texans heads to the locker room in the second quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at NRG Stadium on December 10, 2017 in Houston, Texas.(Photo: Tim Warner, Getty Images)

NFL players suffered more concussions in 2017 than in each of the previous five years, according to data released Friday by the league.

There were 281 reported concussions this season, including head injuries suffered in preseason games and practices. That is the highest number in the past six years and an increase of 15.6% over the five-year average. The figures do not account for the postseason.

There were 190 concussions diagnosed during the 2017 regular season (two fewer than in 2015) but there was a significant jump in incidents during the preseason with 91, nearly evenly split between games (46) and practices (45). Players were diagnosed with 11 concussions during regular-season practices.

The league said 50 of the concussions in 2017 were self-reported by players.

“To this end, understanding the setting in which these (preseason) concussions are occurring is going to be a high-point of emphasis and already has been,” Christina DeFilippo Mack, Senior Director of Epidemiology at IQVIA, said Friday in a conference call. “They’re largely occurring in the first half of preseason, so we’ll continue to work with the teams and the league to understand the factors and activities in which these are happening and communicate these themes to the teams and also individually.”

The increase in preseason concussions, particularly those suffered during practices, was particularly notable, said Jeff Miller, the NFL’s executive vice president of health and safety initiatives. The league is looking deeper into what led to this increase, what sort of drills may have caused the head injuries suffered during practices and what sort of changes could be made to practices in the future.

“Certainly we are disappointed that the concussion numbers are up,” Dr. Allen Sills, the NFL's chief medical officer, said Friday in a conference call. “It is something which challenges us now to roll up our sleeves and continue to work hard to see that number come down. I believe we will attack that problem in a number of ways. We’ll attack it by sharing with individual clubs, the data about incidents, particularly with regards to preseason and the timing of those concussions. We will continue to elaborate with, communicate with and inform the competition committee of the rules of the game. We’ll continue our work on protective equipment.

“We take this as a challenge, because we’re not going to be satisfied until we drive that number much lower.”

Sills added that the latest concussion statistics could be encouraging in at least one respect.

“Not all news is bad news,” Sills continued. “The really good news to see is the increase in self-reporting. What that means is that more players are coming up to us and telling us about their symptoms and getting evaluations through their own reports.”

The NFL’s data showed a decrease in anterior cruciate ligament tears in 2017 with 54. That’s down two from last year and eight fewer than the high of 62 in 2012 during this six-year span. Medial collateral ligament tears were up, however, from 143 last year to 147 in 2017. There were 170 MCL tears in 2017.

Super Bowl III (Jets 16, Colts 7): Quarterback Joe Namath of the New York Jets hands off the football to Matt Snell during Super Bowl III on Jan. 12, 1969. Namath came through on his famous "guarantee" of a Jets upset against the heavily favored Colts. AP

Super Bowl VII (Dolphins 14, Redskins 7): Miami Dolphins' Jim Mandich takes in a Bob Griese pass near the goal line during the second quarter. The 1972 Miami Dolphins remain the NFL's only team with a perfect record (17-0). The 1948 Cleveland Browns of the AAFC also posted a 14-0 record. AP File

Super Bowl XXV (Giants 20, Bills 19): Dejected Bills kicker Scott Norwood walks off the field after missing a 47-yard field goal on the last play of the game, clinching a victory for the New York Giants. Chris O'Meara, AP

Super Bowl XXXIV (Rams 23, Titans 16): Titans wide receiver Kevin Dyson tries to stretch across the goal line on the final play of the game. He is stopped by Rams linebacker Mike Jones. Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY

Super Bowl XXXVI (Patriots 20, Rams 17): New England Patriots' kicker Adam Vinatieri celebrates his 48-yard game-winning field goal in the final seconds against the St. Louis Rams. At left is teammate Ken Walters. Amy Sancetta, AP

Super Bowl LI (Patriots 34, Falcons 28 - OT): New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman hauls in a catch off a deflected pass that would help New England mount the largest comeback in Super Bowl history. The game also featured the first ever overtime in a Super Bowl. Kevin Jairaj, USA TODAY Sports